News-Antique.com - Nov 30,-0001 - New York – Today’s sale of Antiquities set a new world auction record for an Egyptian antiquity when a limestone group statue of Ka-Nefer and his family achieved $2,816,000 against a pre-sale estimate of $1,00,000-1,500,000. The statue was bought in the room for the Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth, Texas by Michael Ward of Ward & Company, New York. This price eclipsed the record set thirty minutes earlier when a splendid and rare Egyptian black granite standard-bearing statue of Queen Nefertari, New Kingdom, Dynasty XIX, Reign of Ramesses II, 1290-1224 B.C. from the Harer Family Trust Collection was sold for $2,256,000. The previous world auction record for an Egyptian antiquity was £883,750 ($1,418,418) for an Egyptian sarcophagus at Christie’s in South Kensington in 2003.

From an American Private Collection, the Egyptian limestone group statue of Ka-nefer and his family, Old Kingdom, Dynasty V, 2465-2323 B.C. was one of the most impressive lots offered in today’s sale of Antiquities. The statue represents Ka-nefer seated on a high bench with a hieroglyphic inscription by his feet reading “Overseer of the Craftsmen, Priest of Ptah, Ka-nefer.” His wife and son are represented in much smaller scale at either side of Ka-nefer, both with their arms affectionately embracing Ka-nefer’s legs.

The sale of Antiquities will continue this afternoon. Two more antiquities-related sales already took place at Christie’s New York so far: Ancient Jewelry, which totaled $680,640 yesterday and Ancient Egyptian Art from the Harer Family Trust Collection which realized $3,593,500 this morning.